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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:Parking lot maneuvering is a concern, though. I'm 5'8" 150 or so, and I test ride a wide range of bikes, and I've yet to drop one during a ride, but there are a bunch that I really don't enjoy riding because of their weight or height. The larger Triumph triples, Goldwings, bagger Harleys, and the larger BMW GSes come to mind. A Bandit 1200 isn't as bad as those, but it's up there a bit. Yeah, the parking lot thing is only a concern for the first few times you ride the bike. Like on a test ride in your case. If you're buying this bike you'll get comfortable with it at parking lot speeds. The Goldwing was the first bike I rode that wasn't my cb350 or cx500. You'll be fine.
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Aug 5, 2012 21:13
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Goldwings have a really low seat height which helps a lot, as does the fact that they carry their weight really low down. IMO 80s- and 90s-era superbikes (GSXR1100, I'm looking at you here), with high seats and high centres of gravity, are a lot harder to move around at low speed than fat tourers.
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Aug 5, 2012 21:27
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So I have been considering getting a motorcycle for the past week. Ironically, before this, I had never realistically looked into buying one, so I am completely ignorant on where to start and what I should be looking for. I plan on taking a motorcycle safety course soon. I am hoping that if I give you guys some background about me, you guys can give me a good selection of cycles to start with. Basically, I am in my mid-20's. I am not a young teenager who wants to get a motorcycle to look cool, or drive in excess of 70 MPH. Safety is my number one concern.. my friends say I drive like a grandma, but honestly its just because I have never been in an accident and I never intend to be in one. I am going on a special work assignment for the next four months, and, should I get a motorcycle, I want to buy it after my assignment is done. That way I can buy it with straight cash. I am looking to spend $8000 (used), but will spend up to $10000.. anymore than that, I will still consider it but will wait a year or so to build up money. In order of importance, the things I want are: 1) stability (because I have never ridden and safety is so important to me) 2) control 3) looks 4) comfort It's kinda hard for me to find a place to start because I love the aggressive styling and futuristic looks of sport bikes, but I don't want or need a fast bike. I want a smooth ride, which from what I understand, comes from large touring style bikes. I love the idea of "adventure bikes" which are capable of going on trails, but the ones I have looked at all look so plain. The main thing I like so far is the can am roadster. It is supposedly very stable, comfortable, and I think they look amazing. BUT, they are expensive and don't turn very well. Any ideas? I plan on doing my own research over the next couple months but goons opinions are always a great place to start.
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Aug 5, 2012 23:13
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CheerGrrl92 posted:So I have been considering getting a motorcycle for the past week. Ironically, before this, I had never realistically looked into buying one, so I am completely ignorant on where to start and what I should be looking for. I plan on taking a motorcycle safety course soon. Get a black bike, they're the best bikes, although red bikes go faster. Seriously though, at that price point (don't forget to factor in price of gear) you've got a really wide choice and it will pretty much come down to what floats your boat and what's available. I'll get in first and suggest Aprilia because I loving love them, and the Dorsoduro (750 or 1200) has adventure bike styling, is pretty stable and comfortable (for the style) and even comes with ABS. The roadster has, erm, a mixed reputation here and tbh it's so alien to the bike dynamic that's not surprising. Perhaps it would be better if you started off with what you want to use the bike for and where - a bike that's great for mega mileage on straight roads in a dry climate isn't going to be the best choice for urban commuting when it's snowing.
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Aug 5, 2012 23:40
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Are you wanting a motorcycle or a Can Am, because those are two very different things in terms of riding.
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Aug 5, 2012 23:49
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Start by taking the safety course. Usually they have several bikes there, and if you ask nicely they can let you test ride several of them and you can if there's any specific type/model you like. If you don't own any safety gear you should set aside about $1-1.5k for that. There's another thread for gear recommendations, but the basic rule is that it must fit you well, and the gear that fits well usually isn't the cheapest (but not necessarily the most expensive either). What will you mainly use the bike for? Commuting? Finding a curvy road and having fun? Going on long trips? On or off road?
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Aug 5, 2012 23:58
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Nin-juh two fifty. You should learn on that. Buy one used for a thousand dollars. You'll almost certainly drop it in a parking lot in your first few months. It's better to drop something cheap and for which parts are freely available. Once you get sick of the Ninja (3 months to never), flip it to the next scrub and buy something that catches your eye (ideally in the 600cc range, but displacement isn't everything). But first, take the MSF Basic Rider Course to get your feet wet, so to speak. If you determine riding sucks rear end, you're only out $200 or so (prices vary by area), and you have $7980 to spend on China White heroin.
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Aug 6, 2012 00:10
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^^^ thanks for the advice. I will use it 95% of the time for short commutes (10-30 minutes) and the occasional 4 hour ride to visit family, ideally. City riding mainly.
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Aug 6, 2012 00:20
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CheerGrrl92 posted:^^^ thanks for the advice. You may take the course and never want to get on a bike again. Do that before you even think about buying a motorcycle. Also, a Can Am is not a motorcycle.
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Aug 6, 2012 00:23
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Safety Dance posted:Nin-juh two fifty. You should learn on that. Buy one used for a thousand dollars. You'll almost certainly drop it in a parking lot in your first few months. It's better to drop something cheap and for which parts are freely available. Once you get sick of the Ninja (3 months to never), flip it to the next scrub and buy something that catches your eye (ideally in the 600cc range, but displacement isn't everything). Safety Dance is right here. Spend a total of 3-4k on MSF, gear and a ninja 250. Ride it for a year. If you hate motorcycling, sell the ninja for about what you paid for it. If you love motorcycling, sell it for the amount you paid for it and get a fancy new bike. Or keep it and buy a new bike anyway. Beginner's bikes are always in such high demand that the used ones depreciate very little. Kind of a win-win situation here.
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Aug 6, 2012 00:29
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CheerGrrl92 posted:^^^ thanks for the advice. My personal belief is that light Dual Sports and Supermotos make the best commuting bikes. Look at (Dual sport): Suzuki DRZ 400s Kawasaki KLR 650 (I own one, it's bulletproof) Kawasaki KLX 250 Kawasaki Super Sherpa 250 Yamaha WRX 250 Supermotos: Suzuki DRZ 400sm Husqvarna SM610 (I ride one, it's the bee's knees) Ducati Hypermotard (the 796 might be a little big to be considered light) Various KTMs If you like the look and that style of riding, start off with any of the 250s or maybe the DRZ 400. If you hate the look for being too dirt-bikey (a valid concern), then ignore me.
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Aug 6, 2012 00:31
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Bloody Queef posted:Yeah, the parking lot thing is only a concern for the first few times you ride the bike. Like on a test ride in your case. If you're buying this bike you'll get comfortable with it at parking lot speeds. The Goldwing was the first bike I rode that wasn't my cb350 or cx500. You'll be fine.
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Aug 6, 2012 00:52
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:There's a difference between "learning to deal with it" and it being easy to deal with. A 5' tall woman could in theory ride an R1200GSA by hopping off the 34" seat on one foot at every stop and holding the 600lb bike up from the side. That's pretty far from an ideal way to ride. My point is just to really see how you fit on it before committing to buying it. Don't be afraid to reject something that feels too big, it's a legitimate consideration. But he's 5'8" and shopping something with a ~31" seat height. If he's not an invalid he'll be totally able to handle the bike. E: And of course sit on a bike before buying it! But don't be afraid of a bigger bike. Bloody Queef fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 01:12
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Thanks for the opinions. According to Cycle Ergo the seat height on the SV650s I had was actually just a bit taller (03 model).
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Aug 6, 2012 01:54
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You can say you can "deal with weight" all you want until you end up at a stop light with rubble and a sideways incline and the fucker falls over on you.
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Aug 6, 2012 03:32
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http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/3186508645.html Here's a '00 DRZ400E with a fair amount of extras, plated (which would otherwise be a dealbreaker for me). Is $2100 a fair price? I'm just not sure about some of the modifications they said they've made.
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Aug 6, 2012 04:20
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Backov posted:Also, a Can Am is not a motorcycle. Dear CA, Try as I might, I just cannot get my knee down. Can you advise? (Bike is a 2006 Lincoln LS) Your pal, Saga
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Aug 6, 2012 08:04
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Saga posted:Dear CA, I had a similar problem back when I rode a '95 Jeep Wrangler. I recommend you remove the doors.
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Aug 6, 2012 10:41
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Safety Dance posted:I had a similar problem back when I rode a '95 Jeep Wrangler. I recommend you remove the doors. It works:  
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Aug 6, 2012 10:48
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sofullofhate posted:It works: lol, I was trying to find a pic from an old edition of Fast Bikes where someone was doing that off the back of a recovery truck, but that works too.
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Aug 6, 2012 11:20
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My LS is a fine American performance luxury automobile with a stonking great V8 and lots of pouffy leather. So I'm not going to cut the doors off, that would just be retarded. < >
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Aug 6, 2012 18:58
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I think these Bandits I'm looking at are cursed. Someone had just put down a deposit on the 1200S I went to look at about a week ago. Today I had arranged to meet a private seller for an 03 Bandit 600S but the guy never showed. Maybe I should give up on my search for now. 
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Aug 7, 2012 14:32
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Start shopping for bikes that don't suck and your life will be better instantly.
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Aug 7, 2012 15:48
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Radbot posted:http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/3186508645.html Unless the seller drops the price severely; I'd say pass on that bike. The clutch cover looks like it has JB weld on it to fix a hole or crack (stator/clutch covers are notoriously thin on the DRZ). The owner is trying to pass off a trashed air filter, a junk looking 'custom rack,' and the stock mud flap which was probably hack sawed off. I also spy a loose axle spacer/chain tensioner (why is this not on the bike?). Why have a spare air box cover, coolant reservoir, and fork gaitors? I don't know if I would trust this guy to have properly maintained or modified the bike, and the throwing trash in the 'extras' pile puts up red flags to me. If you go to check it out, go over it with a fine tooth comb. MooseNoose fucked around with this message at 22:08 on Aug 7, 2012 |
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Aug 7, 2012 21:57
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n8r posted:Start shopping for bikes that don't suck and your life will be better instantly. I'm generally just shopping for cheap as hell bikes, these happened to be in the price point.
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Aug 8, 2012 04:09
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Bovril Delight posted:I'm generally just shopping for cheap as hell bikes, these happened to be in the price point. If you want cheaper and don't care that much about performance, maybe a Yamaha XJ600S Diversion (Seca II in the US - S is the one with the half fairing) - 1992 to 2004 models. 60hp air cooled four, so lower maintenance requirements. That will be sufficient for cruising along at 80. Depending on where you're located, just look out for corrosion on the frame, especially under the swingarm pivot area.
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Aug 8, 2012 07:02
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MooseNoose posted:Unless the seller drops the price severely; I'd say pass on that bike. Will do. Thanks for the reply!
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Aug 8, 2012 13:14
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300 bucks for a 71 kawasaki trail boss (G4 I think) with clutch problems... It's not for me, but is that a decent deal/price? Edit: For fixing up, not needed to actually ride right away.
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Aug 8, 2012 19:57
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I'm really scouring hard to find my first motorcycle, but I think I might be looking to narrowly. I'm essentially only looking at Ninja 250Rs/500Rs, but there has to be more than that for a suitable starter sport-bike. Are there any other models that would be just as suitable/close? How old is too old for my first bike? (I'm not looking for a project I need something that's pretty good to go) Is buying a bike with rebuilt status a big risk?
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Aug 8, 2012 20:23
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After 6 years on my 2006 Suzuki Katana 750 I'm thinking of trading in. I'm just not sure because I love the bike, just put new tires on it and its been paid off for the last year. I actually don't have much reason to get rid of it except that I like change for the sake of change and really like getting new toys. Not to mention I also have a scooter, my roomate has a Harley and the garage is a little too full for adding to the fleet rather than trading in. I've been looking into Triumphs, specifically the Street Triple. I talked to a dealer willing to give me $2500 towards a new bike for trading in the Katana, which I found surprising as I often see them for sale for not much more than $3K. The MSRP is right around $8700 for the Triple plus I actually have money right now and could easily put $500 more down with the trade. I'm wondering if there are any Triumph goons wandering around this thread that may give me an idea of what to expect out of one of these bikes. I use my bike now for just about everything, commuting (60mi each way to and from work), to scooting through Boston traffic and cruising back roads. I haven't had to do anything beyond minimal maintenance besides tires, brakes, oil changes, etc. I have been pretty happy with it and was hoping that the Triumph would give me similar results. I have found nothing but positive reviews but if anybody has any real life Triumph owning experience I'd love to hear about it.
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Aug 8, 2012 21:05
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casque posted:Anyone know anything about a Honda Ascot as a first bike? A friend of mine has one and he bitches constantly about how parts are no longer available. Mild possibility he's just incompetent, though. It needs a lot of help, I think he pisses a quart of oil out of various gaskets every twenty miles, but he got it for free so won't spend any money on it. I'll see if he has any reasonable complaints.
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Aug 8, 2012 21:16
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bigbillystyle posted:After 6 years on my 2006 Suzuki Katana 750 I'm thinking of trading in. I'm just not sure because I love the bike, just put new tires on it and its been paid off for the last year. I actually don't have much reason to get rid of it except that I like change for the sake of change and really like getting new toys. Not to mention I also have a scooter, my roomate has a Harley and the garage is a little too full for adding to the fleet rather than trading in. You can expect it to be fuckin awesome. Ive put about 3000 on mine in a month and its been great. With the wide bars and light weight it handles almost telepathically so its great for the twisted and in town. Seat does take some getting used to but ive heard the aftermsrket ones are pretty comfortable. I think other stock one is ok once its broken in. Its damnable quick too. From a style standpoint ive gotten tons of compliments, and my girlfriend likes it because the exhaust note is so distinctive that she always knows when I'm outside her apartment. Oh yeah, it gets about 40mpg. My only complaint is the oem turn signal stalks all broke at least once. Dunno what the hell that's about.
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Aug 9, 2012 17:29
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Covert Ops Wizard posted:You can expect it to be fuckin awesome. Ive put about 3000 on mine in a month and its been great. With the wide bars and light weight it handles almost telepathically so its great for the twisted and in town. Seat does take some getting used to but ive heard the aftermsrket ones are pretty comfortable. I think other stock one is ok once its broken in. Its damnable quick too. That's weird about the turn signals. They broke easily when coming in contact with something, or just like fell off after hitting a bump pretty good or something? I was currious about the seat, my Katana has a huge foam seat that I have no problem doing an hour, hour and a half strait in the saddle. I'm kind of excited about the possibility of having a lighter faster bike. The Triple has more horsepower, has a lower seat hieght, and weighs about 100lbs less than the Katana. I used to borrow my friend's Ninja 636 all the time, before he sold it, and I could really feel the difference in the weight. I could go about an hour or so on that bike before that seat bothered me and that was basically neopreen wrapped around cardboard or something like that so maybe the Triumph seat will fit me just fine. Thanks for the input.
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Aug 9, 2012 18:06
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bigbillystyle posted:That's weird about the turn signals. They broke easily when coming in contact with something, or just like fell off after hitting a bump pretty good or something? Never hit anything, so id assume minute vibrations along with perhaps they were overtightened. Its kind of a flexible yet firm plastic piece holding them on that broke. The seat is padded well, but it pushes you forward onto the tank. Breaking it in and getting knee pads for the tank helped. Still better than most sport seats.
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Aug 9, 2012 18:26
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I have a Speed, not a Street, but they're similar. For everyday use your biggest issues may be that there's no underseat storage and the high pipes complicate carrying stuff on the tail. Also while you get used to the wind, the lack of a fairing can add to stress over high-speed runs (like, possibly, your 60 mile commute.) If you go with the Triumph look into the flyscreen and visor. Never had an issue with the stock signals before I replaced them with LED units.
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Aug 9, 2012 18:48
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bigbillystyle posted:(60mi each way to and from work), Dude, I missed that. 60 miles each way?  Why not save yourself a lot of pain and misery and get a tourer with decent fuel economy? F800ST, R1100/1150/1200RT, or a cheap K-series for that matter. e: or move closer to work, because that is a lot of time and money to be spending sitting in traffic. Saga fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Aug 9, 2012 |
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Aug 9, 2012 19:00
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I'm an absolute newbie when it comes to this motorcycle thing, so I don't really know where to start. I've been watching Craigslist and whatnot, but I'd planned to purchase a bike after my MSF class, which I take in two or three weeks. But then, yesterday, I was driving around town when I stumbled on an old Ninja 250, on sale for $700. It looked to be a third generation, and it was missing its lower fairing. If it's in mechanically good shape, that seems like an insane deal for this area. Even the oldest Ninja 250 on Craigslist seems to be $2,000, $2,500 if it's in decent condition. I was about to stop and ask about it, but I remembered that I know nothing about motorcycles. What should I look for? Or ask about? Any tips? Or am I better off just getting something new since I'm so clueless?
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Aug 9, 2012 19:23
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I'm not a Ninja guy, but that sounds like a smoking deal. Unless you've got money to throw away don't buy new. Maybe check out/ask in the Ninja 250 thread http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3181977&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 but if it runs well and only cosmetic damage, I'd say go for it.
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Aug 9, 2012 19:28
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Snowdens Secret posted:I have a Speed, not a Street, but they're similar. For everyday use your biggest issues may be that there's no underseat storage and the high pipes complicate carrying stuff on the tail. Also while you get used to the wind, the lack of a fairing can add to stress over high-speed runs (like, possibly, your 60 mile commute.) If you go with the Triumph look into the flyscreen and visor. As far as getting a tourer, I'm just not as into them I guess. Fashion over functionality. I really don't mind the commute, I found some pretty sweet backroads for about half of it that are rarely congested and have some decent curves so sometimes I take the long way home for a little bit of fun. I'll be moving closer to work sometime in the next year when MY GIRLFRIEND and I take the plunge into co-habitation. bigbillystyle fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Aug 9, 2012 |
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Aug 9, 2012 20:25
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With my '12 Speed I can fit a ziploc bag with my reg / insurance card and the owner's manual, and a tire patch kit with two CO2 cartridges. That's a pretty tight fit, and, say, a Gatorade bottle definitely won't go in. The Street has a different tail section but I doubt it's much roomier.
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Aug 9, 2012 20:37
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